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Goldenballs David Beckham back for England

May 28th 2007 05:27

David Beckham is back for England

David Beckham has earned a recall to the England squad for a friendly at the new Wembley against Brazil on June 2nd and the crucial Euro 2008 trip to Estonia on June 6th.

The former England captain has been in exile from the England squad ever since current coach Steve McLaren took over the team after last year's World Cup quarter-final loss against Portugal.

Despite McLaren publicly saying that the door would not be closed for a Beckham return, many doubted he would appear in a Three Lions shirt again as England looked towards the future in the post-Sven Goran Eriksson era. Others have said that Beckham's axing had to do with McLaren's intention of stamping his authority on the team.

However, with England suffering a huge set-back on the back of a poor run of results, McLaren has had to recall the Real Madrid superstar for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia.

Becks has been in sensational form for Real Madrid since making a return to the side after boss Fabio Capello had previously vowed he would never pick the Englishman again after the transfer saga which saw the player sign on for MLS side LA Galaxy for the next five seasons.

He has played a huge part in a resurgent Real side who are on course for triumph in La Liga - they currently top the League standings with 72 points.

I have always maintained that Beckham has been made a scapegoat for England's underperformance at the last World Cup. No, his play has never been about pace but precise and accurate passing, long or short, which he is continuing to do on a consistent basis for Real Madrid.

And more importantly, the fact is he is still clearly one of the best English players going around. His return maybe short-lived though given his impending move to US soccer, but as he has proven once again, write him off at your own peril.

Or just ask the two managers with egg on their faces!

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Posted By: charles - Category: English football news, World football news, Real Madrid

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David Beckham suffers injury setback

March 6th 2007 03:32

David Beckham's return to the Real Madrid first-team has been cut short by a knee ligament injury that will rule him out for 4-6 weeks.

The former England captain has been in fine form since his return to the Madrid line-up and was on the verge of an England recall for the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The 31-year-old midfielder was hurt playing for Real Madrid against Getafe in the Spanish League on Sunday. Beckham hurt his right knee after mis-hitting a cross and running into advertising hoardings behind the goal.

Not only will he miss the chance of a recall to the national team, he will also miss Wednesday's Champions League game against Bayern Munich, a crucial match against Barcelona next weekend and possibly a further three league games.

He will also miss an emotional return to Old Trafford on 13 March when he was set to play for a European All-Star XI against the current Manchester United side.

Beckham has said many times in the past that one of his biggest regrets was not being able to say goodbye to the United fans at Old Trafford after being sold to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.

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Posted By: charles - Category: English football news, Euro 2008, Spanish football news, World football news, Real Madrid

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David Beckham joins L.A. Galaxy

January 12th 2007 03:12

Becks quits Spain for the US!

The world's most famous footballer, ex-England captain David Beckham, will join US Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy in a staggering US$250 million five-year deal at the end of the season.

"Golden Balls" will leave Spanish giants Real Madrid in June and start his new life in the US in August.

After months of speculation, the 31 year-old finally put pen to paper - sealing one of the most lucrative deals in world sport.

Beckham said in a statement: 'This week, Real Madrid asked me to make a decision regarding my future and the offer to extend my contract by a further two seasons.

'After discussing several options with my family and advisers to either stay here at Madrid or join other major British and European clubs, I have decided to join the Los Angeles Galaxy and play in the MLS from August this year.

'I would like to thank the supporters and people of Madrid who have made my family and I feel so welcome in my time here, making this an extremely difficult decision to make.

'I have enjoyed my time in Spain enormously and I am extremely grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to play for such a great team and their amazing fans.

'I am proud to have played for two of the biggest clubs in football and I look forward to the new challenge of growing the world's most popular game in a country that is as passionate about its sport as my own.

'For the rest of this season I will continue to give 100% to my coach, team mates and fans as I believe Fabio Capello will bring this club and its supporters the success they truly deserve.'

This ground-breaking deal took place after the MLS recently changed their salary cap rules to allow sides to make 'marquee signings' of top international stars.

A break-down of the deal are as follows:

Annual salary: US$10m
Total control of his image rights, including sponsorship contracts with his four sponsors - Motorola, Pepsi, Gillette and Volkswagen - estimated to be US$25m
Merchandising (sales of replica shirts): US$10m
Share of club profits: US$10m

My personal opinion on this move is that Beckham no longer harbours the ambition of achieving success in European football and representing his country on the international stage.

While Beckham enjoyed much success at club level with Manchester United, he has endured a barren run of three years without lifting a trophy at Real Madrid.

As the Spanish giants stepped into a new era with Italian Fabio Capello as head coach this season, Beckham has endured a frustrating season in which he has only started a total of five games in all competitions.

His England career also came to an abrupt end after he relinquished his captaincy post World Cup 2006 and has not been picked ever since by new national manager Steve McLaren despite the "door still being opened" for the midfielder.

Although Beckham has stated that he still harbours ambition to play for his country, his latest career move to a lesser league proves otherwise and it is safe to say that Beckham will definitely not be adding to his 94 caps.

Beckham's move stateside has been greeted as a historic moment in the history of football in the country with MLS commissioner Don Garber saying: "David Beckham coming to MLS might be viewed by some as one of the most important moments for soccer in this country and perhaps the history of professional sport.

"David transcends the sport and is a cultural icon. David is clearly one of the most recognisable athletes in the world.

"People are going to feel really good about David Beckham spending the rest of his career in the US."

Becks will therefore be in charge of rejuvenating a sport that lags behind in terms of popularity to other mainstream sports such as the NFL, NBA and baseball over in the US.

This is a huge ask, even for "Golden Balls".

Although I expect interest in the MLS to surge ten-fold upon his arrival, what remains to be seen if this interest can be maintained over the course of a season and beyond.

Time will tell.

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